Improvement in printing-telegraphs



f I M F.WESSMAVNN.

Improvement in Printing Telegraph.

,-N 130,25g I J'Eyi PatentedAugJfi, 1872.

m incsses: In venl'or;

UNITED STATES PATE MARTIN F. 'YVESSMANN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 130,259, dated August6, 1872.

' applied thereto; Fig. 2, a side'elevation of the same.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in both figures.

The purpose of this invention is to produce, automatically, the printingmovement of a telegraph instrument with a single line-wire, and solelyby the manipulations of the transmitter on the type-wheel or linecircuit. This is accomplished with the use of a local battery andcircuit for the printing-magnet, the said circuit being closed and theprinting effected by a momentary but somewhat prolonged cessation of thetype-wheel step-by-step movement on a broken circuit through theline-wire. The principle on which this eflect is produced is that anarmature in close contact with the poles of an electro-magnet will clinga short time thereto after the current of electricity ceases to passthrough the coil or coils of wire which surrounds it, so that when thecircuit is rapidly closed and broken, as in producing the step-and-stepmotion of the type-wheel, the said armature will remain continually incontact with the cores of the magnet; but if the circuit is held openfor a short time longer than when producing such step-and-step motion,the armature will become separated from the magnet-cores by its gravityor the force of a counter spring or weight, and by that action willclose the circuit of the printing-magnet, and will be ready again to beattracted to the type-wheel magnet, and break the printingcircuit onagain operating the transmitter.

The drawing illustrates a mode of carrying out this invention.

Let A represent the magnet, to which the armature B, by which theprinting-circuit is closed and opened, is applied. This magnet may bethe type-wheel magnet, the said arma ature being additional to itsregular armature;

or it may be additional to the type-wheel magnet, but situated in thesame circuit, which is the main wire or line circuit. This armature isattached to a vibrating lever, G, or its equivlent, mounted on pivots aa, as shown, or otherwise, so that one end, I), of the lever willcontact with the cores of the magnet A, as

shown in Fig. 2 and when the circuit is broken in the coils of the saidmagnet the lever descends below the contact-plate, as indicated bydotted lines in the same figure. The projecting end I) of the lever Ois, laterally, thin, yielding, and elastic; and the contact-plate is alittle inclined from a perpendicular position, as shown, so that whenthe lever descends it rubs in contact with the said plate from top tobottom so as to keep the circuit closed a sufficient time to eifect theprinting. This surface is, or may be, plated with platinum. The under oropposite surface of the contact-plate D is insulated by wood, .hardrubber, or other suitable material, so that when the lever G ascendsagain and rubs against the said under surface the local circuit willremain open. In the descent of the lever along the platinum surface ofthe contact-plate the friction and resistance should be as slight aspossible to insure contact and sufficient length of time in the descent;and in order to secure suflicient time in the descent to operate theprinting-magnet without failure, a retarding device is or may be added.I show such a device in the drawing, consisting of a fly, E, which iscaused to revolve by the short end of the lever O in the ascent thereofby means of a dog, g, thereon, acting on a ratchet-wheel, h, on theshaft of a spur-wheel, i, which gears into a pinion, Z, on thefly-shaft; or any equivalent retarding device may be applied to thelever.

The operation of the invention, as illustrated in the drawing abovedescribed, is simple and rrron.

obvious. While effecting the step-and-step movement of the transmitterto bring the type- Wheel into position the breaking and closing of themain circuit is so rapid that the armature B continues to cling to thecores of the magnet A in the main circuit, the counterspring an,(adjustable in strength by a setscrew, a, or its equivalent,) or acounter-weight of the lever 0, being so proportioned in relation to thestrength of the magnet as not to detach the said armature during thesemomentary breakings of the circuit but as soon as the transmitter isstopped on an open circuit, as it should be, sufficient time elapses todemagnetize the magnet A, and the armature B becomes separatedtherefrom, the end I) of the lever 0 drops, and, descending along thesurface of the contact-plate D, closes the local circuit of theprinting-magnet. Then, on again operating the transmitter for the nextletter or character, the first closing of the main circuit causes thearmature B to be attached to its magnet, thereby again raising the lever0 above the contact-plate D without closing the printing-circuit, sinceits ascent is on the under insulated side of the contact-plate. Thelever is then ready to descend again and-operate the printing mechanism,on the cessation of the transmitter movement and again breaking the maincircuit.

Although by this invention a local battery is used, it is all the timeout of action except at each moment of printing, so that it does notbecome exhausted rapidly. On the other hand, the use of only a singlemain wire and the simplicity of the whole invention are importantadvantages gained.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The printing-magnet operated through a local or separate circuit by acircuitcloser held open by the clinging of an armature to a magnet inthe main circuit during the breakin g and closing of the said maincircuit in moving the type-Wheel, but closed and brought into action bythe cessation of that movement on the open main circuit after thetype-Wheel is brought into position, substantially as herein specified.v

2. The circuit breaking and closing armature B, in combination with thetype-wheel or other magnet A in the main circuit, and withavibratinglever, O, or its equivalent, for breaking and closing theprinting-circuit, substantially as herein specified.

3. The combination and arrangement of the magnet A, armature B,vibrating lever G, and circuit-closing contact-plate D, substantially asand for the purpose herein specified.

4. In combination with the foregoing, the retarding fly E or itsequivalent, for the purpose specified.

MARTIN F. WESSMANN.

"Witnesses:

J. S. BROWN, E. M. GALLAHER.

